Wednesday, February 22, 2017

A Short-handed Sailing Machine Evolves- the J/121
(Bristol, RI)- Step-by-step, the J/121 offshore speedster is evolving at the CCF Composites facility in Bristol, RI; a city famous for its seafaring heritage that includes such notable sailing families as the Herreshoff’s. Today, it is home to the next generation of offshore sailing design. Evolving in the shadows of those fabled boat sheds on the Bristol shoreline is the new J/121, an offshore sailing machine designed to be sailed with five or fewer crew.

Critical to this design mandate is the careful engineering of critical boat-handling elements and deck/cockpit ergonomics, where even millimeters can make a difference. Wheel diameters, pedestal heights and placement, foot rest locations, skipper and crew sight-lines as well as trimming locations all add up to sailing faster and more safely with friends and family.

Full-scale prototyping with actual sailors in the cockpit is the best way to validate and optimize the computer rendering. The J/121 cockpit offers tremendous elbow-room across her expansive decks aft. The twin 36” wheels (mocked up in plywood in this picture) afford the skipper unprecedented views of the jib telltales and the ability to pick a faster track through steep seas approaching the bow, or diving for deeper troughs to surf and plane faster in following seas.

Today, the J/121’s ultra-fair CNC machined hull plug (by Symmetrix Composite Tooling) has produced gleaming hull molds, with the first hull due to be vacuum-bag formed in the next week. More news to follow on this game-changing offshore sailing machine! For more J/121 sailing informationJ/70 Midwinters Preview
(St Petersburg, FL)- The 2017 J/70 Midwinters will be hosted by the award-winning regatta management crew at St Petersburg Yacht Club in St Petersburg, FL. With fifty-four hungry teams on the line, regatta PRO Todd Fedyszyn will have his hands full keeping the hard-charging crews at bay for three days of racing that commences on Friday, February 24th and concludes on Sunday, February 26th. It also marks another “first” milestone in the evolution of the J/70 class; it’s the first time the USA J/70 class association has experimented in a major “open” class championship with limiting professional sailors to just one per boat, including the owner or skipper. Post regatta scuttlebutt will be interesting; the jury will be out on whether this is a welcome development, or not.

The weather forecast will certainly challenge the crews that range in age and experience; from 14 year old Madelyn Ploch on USA 88 to Masters Champions like John Brim on his famous RIMETTE. Currently, NOAA forecasts moderate northeasterlies on Friday followed by blustery, puffy northwesterlies on Saturday, followed up again, after a frontal passage, by a persistently shifting northeasterly on Sunday veering east over the course of the day.

There are many top teams that are participating that include Olympic Gold Medallists, to World Champions, to local PHRF beer-can Wonder-Women! Amongst those that should make appearances at the top of the leaderboard are Allen Terhune’s CITY WOK from Annapolis YC (J/22 World Champion); Glenn Darden’s HOSS from Fort Worth Boat Club (a J/105 and J/80 North American Champion with Olympic Gold Medallist Jonathan McKee on tactics); David Mendelblatt on USA 839 from St Petersburg YC (a multiple College All-American like his brother Mark at Tufts University); Tim Healy’s NEW ENGLAND ROPES from Newport, RI (J/70 & J/24 World and Midwinter Champion); Henry Brauer’s RASCAL from Eastern YC (J/105 North American Champion and J/111 NYYC Annual Regatta and Chicago Verve Cup Champion); Brian Keane’s SAVASANA from Beverly YC (J/105 Key West Champion and J/80 World Champion); Will Welles’ SCAMP from Mount Desert Island Sailing Club (J/24 World Champion); and John & Molly Baxter’s VINEYARD VINES from Riverside YC (2016 Quantum J/70 Winter Series Champions).

The foreign contingent includes two Canadian crews, Stu McCrea’s CAN 550 from Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Scott Weakley’s REX from Port Credit YC in Port Credit (Toronto). In addition, is the Mexican crew from Puerto Vallarta YC, Ignacio Perez’s ZAQUERO from Guadalajara.

The Corinthian crews should expect strong competition all weekend long from past leaders, like Rob Britts’ HOT MESS from Davis Island YC; Andrew & Melissa Fisher’s BUTTON FLY from American YC; Al Poindexter’s USA 241 from Lakewood YC in Houston, TX; and Frank McNamara’s CHINOOK from Eastern YC in Marblehead, MA. For more J/70 Midwinters sailing information.Islands Race Preview
(Newport Beach, CA)- Sailors from all over the Pacific Coast are eagerly preparing for one of San Diego Yacht Club’s signature offshore races. The 130nm Islands Race begins on February 24, and is San Diego YC’s first offshore race of 2017. Following the Islands Race is the SoCal 300, the final event of California Offshore Race Week, in May and the Rum Runner Race in October.

For the eighth year, San Diego Yacht Club will partner with Newport Harbor Yacht Club for the Islands Race. The popular course features genuine sea breezes and deep blue ocean swells. Competitors will depart from the Long Beach Harbor and head west of the Santa Catalina and San Clemente Islands for some of Southern California’s best sailing before they finish the regatta in San Diego’s Point Loma.

Over 30 boats are expected to compete, ranging from 33 to 70 feet in length. Skipper Tim Fuller from San Diego Yacht Club has participated in the Islands Race numerous times on his J/125 RESOLUTE. Fuller plans to use the complexities of the Islands Race to prepare for the Transpac Race in July (a 2,225nm adventure). Comments Fuller, "The Islands Race does have its challenges. First, is lane positioning on the long drag race from LA around the west end of Catalina Island in a typical westerly breeze. Second, is navigating the exclusion zones outside of San Clemente Island, and third, is tactically anticipating the wind fill and direction on the last leg to Point Loma.” After narrowly missing the overall title last year by a margin of just one minute, Fuller has his eyes set on the overall title for 2017.

Wayne Terry, SDYC Staff Commodore, is once again Co-Chairing the race, along with Daniel Geissmann from Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Terry is ready to host another iconic offshore race with a celebration for competitors after finishing the race. "The annual Islands Race, now in its 8th year, is a normally well-attended event, co-sponsored by the San Diego and Newport Harbor Yacht Clubs. As of this writing, the fleet numbers 25 competitors in what should be another fun and challenging event, and a tune-up precursor to this year’s Cabo and Transpac Races. While the 2016 Island’s Race experienced somewhat of a weather anomaly, which drove an early morning race day decision to sail the inside course, we hope 2016 was just that – an anomaly. The Island’s Race is one of those events where the sailing offices at the respective clubs deserve all the kudos- they do the heavy lifting. On behalf of the organizing authorities, we hope everyone participating in this year’s event enjoys a fun, fast and most importantly, safe race."

There are seven J/Teams that are participating in the 2017 edition of the Islands Race, nearly 25% of the fleet! In addition to Tim Fuller’s J/125 RESOLUTE, there are two other J/125 stablemates joining them, Mark Surber’s DERIVATIVE from Coronado YC and Viggo Torbensen’s TIMESHAVER from Dana Point YC.

Besides the three J/125’s, there are four other J/Crews on the race track that have a great shot at class, as well as overall honors. Those teams include Ed Sanford’s J/105 CREATIVE from San Diego YC; Doug & Jack Jorgensen’s J/111 PICOSA from Los Angeles YC; Seth Hall’s gorgeous navy blue J/124 MARISOL from Cortez Racing Association; and Paul Stemler’s elegant J/44 PATRIOT from Newport Harbor YC.

SDYC will host the award ceremony on the clubhouse main deck at 3pm on Saturday, February 25 with food and drinks for competitors starting at 1400 hrs. Friends, family, and the sailing community can follow the race by tuning in to the Yellow Brick Tracking website at http://yb.tl/islandsrace2016.
For more Islands Race sailing information25th Anniversary Banderas Bay Regatta Preview
(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)- Who would've thought that when a few yachtsmen got together in 1992 to have a little fun regatta, that 25 years later the event would be going strong, and one of the largest and most popular cruisers' events on the west coast?

This year, BBR will celebrate 25 years, and the organizers intend to make it something special! There will be an event that celebrates some of the past regattas, and helps everyone to remember all the great sailors that have come before!

This year's event will be from February 28 to March 4, 2017. The regatta starts off with the famous kick-off party at the Vallarta Yacht Club, and ends with the legendary BBR beach party. In between, expect a little old, a little new and all fun!!

Remember, when you participate in the Banderas Bay Regatta, here is what you get:

Two Banderas Bay Regatta shirts!

Two Banderas Bay Regatta hats!

Two Tickets for dinner opening night (can be used for any of the VYC dinners during the event)

A BBR 25 burgee to fly with pride, making your boat the envy of the anchorage where ever you go! This is a special edition and only competitors will get them!

Two tickets to the most kickin’ ass beach party of the season!

Terry O'Rourke, founder of the Banderas Bay Regatta, loves to tell the story of the boat that was finishing the regatta in first place, calling the race committee to tell them he was dropping out of the race because he caught a fish.

To celebrate 25 years of cruiser racing in Banderas Bay, let's go fishing! The second day of racing for Banderas Bay Regatta XXV will include a fishing tournament. The tournament is open to all boats, pangas, dinghies, sailboats, paddle boards, kayaks and inner tubes! No handicaps, just fish inside the bay. If you are not already registered in BBR XXV, just pay the registration fee for the fishing tournament.

Fishin’ starts at 7am and finishes at 12pm. At 1 pm, races will begin. At around 5pm, we'll have a fish weigh-in on the Paradise Village Marina docks, then we'll head to Vallarta Yacht Club for a fish BBQ to share the bounty of beautiful Banderas Bay!! Fresh sushi?? Or, will it be awesome ceviche with lime and tequila! Nevertheless, awards will be presented by Harbormaster Dick Markie for best and worst fishermen.

Have fun, eat, dance and celebrate 25 years of Banderas Bay cruiser racing! Joining the fun so far are pioneering J/sailors. For starters, there is the J/105 SINFONIA NAUTICA skippered by Bart Smit. Bart’s crew of intrepid adventurers includes the following rockstars:

Eugenie Russell- Puerto Vallarta- nobody knows what planet she is from, but great sailor

Then, if the J/105 crew is leading the J/fleet home each day, not far off their transom should be the local J/80 crew- skippered by Rush Faville from Vallarta YC in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico. More good times to be had by these crews and, surely, some great reports about fresh sushi and ceviche with cervezas on the docks! YUM YUM!! For more Banderas Bay Regatta sailing informationJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The sailors down in South America were having yet another week of amazing summer weather while there friends in the northern Americas were suffering from everything from lack of wind to too much wind to too much rain and snow. Last week, the fast-growing J/70 class in Chile held their National Championship on Lago Panguipulli, a lake at the base of two enormous snow-capped active volcanos in the middle of their Andes Mountain range. The sailing was truly spectacular.

Heading north into the Caribbean, the RORC Caribbean 600 Race started and it was clear that some J/crews were fairing better than others and a very famous J/122 was showing most of them the road home.

Just off to the west, the HELLY HANSEN St Petersburg NOOD Regatta took place on Tampa Bay, hosted by the St Petersburg YC for one-design fleets of J/70s and J/24s as well as a PHRF/ORC fleet comprised of J/29s, J/88s and others.

Finally, further out west, the Southern California Yachting Association hosted their SCYA Midwinters between 20+ yacht clubs across the regions for dozens of classes and thousands of sailors. Included in that mix were some of the largest one-design keelboat classes in all of Southern California- the J/70s, J/80s, J/109s, and J/120s.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.J/Crews Loved Sunny St Pete NOOD
(St Petersburg, FL)- The first of the many Sailing World NOOD Regattas took place this past weekend in St Petersburg, FL, hosted by the St Petersburg YC. A record fleet turned out for the event, fueled in part by the huge J/70 class. Racing took place from Friday, February 17th to Sunday, February 17th on Tampa Bay. The weather forecast looked promising, and in the end Tampa Bay lived up to its classic scenario of light to moderate winds- from every direction.

The event attracted a cross-section of sailors in both one-design fleets as well as PHRF fleets. The J/70 class was out in strength, again, after just completing their Quantum Winter Series last week at Davis Island YC on Tampa Bay. Thirty-four teams were headed for the starting line that included a number of top teams that had sailed in the Quantum Key West Race Week and were gunning for the J/70 Midwinters the following weekend, as well as the Bacardi Miami Sailing Week later in March.

In the J/70 class, first place winner Peter Bowe, of Baltimore, Md., echoed remarks about the importance of aggressive gear shifting in the shifty weather. The TEA DANCE SNAKE skipper typically competes in the Corinthian (non-professional) level, but with some of his team missing this week, he opted to learn a few new tricks from a hired coach, Jackson Benvenutti. “He obviously upped our game,” Bowe said, laughing. “We’ve been sailing a long time, but this time we were faster and had better starts. This was our best performance in a major regatta!”

Tied with Bowe’s team for the overall lead was Brian Keane’s SAVASANA from Beverly YC in Buzzards Bay, MA. Keane’s team posted the most consistent scores in the event with a 3-2-2-6 for 13 pts, but not good enough to take the overall win. Behind them it was an enormous battle between six boats for the final position on the podium! Just four points separted 3rd from 10th place! Ultimately, winning that fight was Peter Cunningham from the Cayman Islands Sailing Club in Grand Cayman, posting an 11-4-14-3 for 32 points. Peter was the “de facto” Masters Champion for the regatta and this was his first top three finish in a major J/70 regatta. Behind them were Will Welle’s RASCAL in 4th place from Newport, RI. Then, in a first ever scenario for J/70 class racing, three women skippers occupied the next three slots! Pam Rose sailed her ROSEBUD into fifth, with Madelyn Ploch’s USA 88 in sixth position and Darby Smith’s AFRICA in the seventh spot!

The J/24 class had five boats participating on Course B near the St Petersburg waterfront. Winning that class was not easy either. Just like the J/70s, the winner was determined on a tie-breaker! In this case, both boats had 10 point each, with local J/24 guru Jim Lindsay on SIGHT SEEING taking the win with a 1-5-1-1-2 over Seth Rosenthal’s SHOCK WAVE from Crystal Beach, FL, who posted a 2-1-2-2-2-3! Tight stuff! Sitting in the bleacher seats watching the fight in front of him was Nathan Bresett’s WOODICHUCK from Belleville, Ontario, Canada; their record of 4-3-3-3-1 for 14 points was good enough for the bronze.

The world of handicap racing on Course D took place off to the southwest near the enormously long Bay Bridge. For the first time, the NOOD regatta offered both PHRF and ORC handicap scoring for the entire fleet. It produced interesting results, in particular because it offered perspectives on how much an “objective” rule (ORC) compared to a highly “subjective” rule (PHRF) can differ with regards to rating boats. Winning the ORC Class of ten boats was Iris Vogel’s J/88 DEVIATION from Long Island Sound, New York. She was the top women skipper in the entire NOOD Regatta! Third in class was Ray Mannix’s J/29 SEMPER FI. In the PHRF 1 Class of 11 boats, Vogel’s J/88 finished third behind two known PHRF “rule beaters” (e.g. boats that rate unlike any other boats in the PHRF rating spectrum).

In the PHRF 2 Class of nine boats, it was Mannix’s J/29 SEMPER FI from Largo, Florida that took the class win. For more Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD Regatta sailing information.SUR II Crowned J/70 Chilean Champion
(Algarrobo, Chile)- The growth of the J/70 class in the world’s “longest” country- Chile- is nothing short of remarkable. Over the last three years, Chile leads the development of the J/70 class in South America with twenty-seven boats! And, with advent of a South American builder in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the class expects to grow significantly larger! That the class is growing so big is not altogether too surprising. Many are converts from the country’s J/24 class, which also was South America’s largest one-design keelboat class with over 200 boats at one point in its history. The growing popularity of the J/70 is attributed to its ability to be easily trailered and ramp-launched on any of Chile’s spectacular lakes that lie at the base of the world’s longest string of massive 14,000+ foot snow-capped volcanoes.

In fact, the 2017 Chilean J/70 Championship, which took place from February 10th to 12th, was sailed on the gorgeous Lago Panguipulli, a lake that is surrounded by three massive snow-capped volcanoes, two of which “smoke” every day! Hosting the event was Club Nautico Panguipulli, supported by Nicolás Ibañez and sponsored by Santander Bank, Volvo Chile, Windmade and Harken.

The fleet of fourteen boats was treated to fantastic weather all weekend long. On Friday and Saturday, the classic southwest “sea breeze” blew in with 10-14 kt winds, with the fleet taking advantage of windshifts that often exceeded 20 degrees. Two races were completed on Friday and four races were sailed on Saturday! Sailing on Sunday was limited to just one race because the 6-10 kts sea breeze didn’t fill in until 4:30 pm.

What makes setting the race course especially challenging in the shifty breezes is the fact that the windward marks are often set in 300 to 500 feet of water while the starting line and leeward gates are set in nearly 2,000 feet of water!! Imagine that!? Like their counterparts in Hawaii, the marks use rocks tied in a “basket” of biodegradable line that is chucked over the side from the mark set boat and after “timing” the descent of the “rock anchor” (often 5 minutes or more), the line is held for 15-20 seconds to determine if it’s on the bottom! Only then do you tie on the mark- which has to be a small red tomato mark to prevent getting blown around.

Over the seven race series (with one throw-out), the teams had to be sharp with their tactics and boat-speed, having to make constant gear changes in the breeze that saw significant fluctuations in strength and direction. In the end, it was the team of SUR II, skippered by Sebastin Halperm and crewed by the Despontin Brothers and Nacho Giamona that demonstrated great boat speed and amazing lake sailing skills to win the championship with 16 points total. Finishing in second place was the 2016 Chilean Champion, Per Von Appen’s BLACK SAILS with 19 pts. Third place was determined by a tie-breaker on 21 pts, with Carlos Vergara’s SENSEI taking the bronze over Pablo Amunategui’s BLACK JACK. Rounding out the top five was Matias Seguel’s VOLVO with 22 pts.

The Chilean J/70 fleet will head north (about a 6 hour drive) to the Pacific coast for the J/70 South American Championship in March. Hosting the event in Algarrobo will be the Cofradía Nautica del Pacifico. Twenty boats are expected from Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Perú and Uruguay!

RORC Caribbean 600 Race Update
(English Harbour, Antigua)- It was an awe-inspiring start for the ninth edition of the RORC Caribbean 600. The fleet started in magnificent conditions with the largest ever offshore fleet assembled in the Caribbean enjoying sparkling conditions. A southeasterly breeze, occasionally gusting up to 15 knots and a relatively calm sea state provided conditions for the perfect start with some close battles on the water.

"This fleet is awe-inspiring because of the quality of the boats and you can see that by the competition at the start to get close to the cliffs. From the first gun, people were pushing hard to win the race. The RORC Caribbean 600 has grown, year after year and we just love it, it is the perfect playground for offshore racing," commented Eddie Warden Owen, RORC Chief Executive.

RORC Commodore Michael Boyd commented, "It was almost as nerve racking to be up at Fort Charlotte as on the water, and, of course, we are all hurlers from the ditch telling them to get closer to the cliffs. It was a fascinating start from an amazing and historic vantage point to see these wonderful boats take off. Everything went very smoothly, which is a great tribute to our professional race management team and our volunteers. This was quite an emotional moment for me and we will of course be wishing them all well for the next few days and a safe return."

Ed Fishwick's J/122 REDSHIFT ON EL OCASO nailed the pin end at the first start which saw the combined IRC 2 & IRC 3 classes away clear. This year with softer winds predicted, perhaps one of these yachts will win the overall prize of the RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy. REDSHIFT ON EL OCASEO was leading on the water at Green Island but two hours into the race. As of Thursday at 0900 hours, with just over 145nm left to go, the J/122 REDSHIFT ON EL OCASO is 1st in IRC 2 Class and 1st in CSA 2 Class, and they have a shot at overall honors, too!

The RORC Caribbean 600 has quickly become an important event in ocean racing circles in the course of its short history and a 'must do' race on the calendar of those who take their ocean racing seriously. The RORC Caribbean 600 circumnavigates 11 of the Leeward Islands, starting and finishing in Antigua, going as far north as St. Maarten and as far south as Guadeloupe. The race has grown steadily in its nine-year history and the 2017 edition has a new record entry of over 70 boats. For more RORC Caribbean 600 Race sailing informationJ/One-Designs Dominate SCYA Midwinters
(Long Beach, CA)- The SCYA Midwinter Regatta, an 88-year yachting tradition, is a chance for sailors to test their skills against the best skippers in the West Coast. It also provides an opportunity to experience the thrill of competitive racing for the first time in a name event in less formal cruising classes or as crew in one of the many boats participating.

The Regatta, one of the Nation’s largest sailing competitions, was held over two weekends in February, offering over 25 venues with 600 boats competing in 100 classes and 2,500 sailors participating. Not surprisingly, the four J/classes participating continue to grow and dominate the regatta- J/70s, J/80s, J/24s, J/120s, and J/109s.

Coronado YC hosted the highly competitive fifteen-boat J/70 class and it was Jeff Janov’s MINOR THREAT from California YC that posted a runaway win with finishes of 1-1-4-2-1-1 for just 10 points total. However, behind his team it was tenacious fight to the very end and the top five was ultimately determined by less than 2 points and a tie-breaker! Holy Smokes, Batman! A nail-biter until the finish! The ultimate winner for the silver was Jim Murrell’s HUCKLEBERRY from King Harbor YC, taking the tie-breaker on 28 pts over Bennet Greenwald’s PERSEVERANCE from San Diego YC. Just one point back was Chris Snow’s SOGGY DOLLAR from San Diego YC (a past J/24 North American Champion). Then, fifth place was taken by Chris Raab’s SUGOI from Newport Harbor YC only one point further back!

Hosted by San Diego YC, the J/80 class saw local sailor Curt Johnson and his crew on AVET that again showed their booty to the fleet all regatta-long. Their unassailable five straight firsts enabled them to win their class with ease. Taking second on JWORLD TWO was Sean Palizza’s crew with 11 pts and in third was Patrick Farrell’s JWORLD ONE with 14 pts.

Also hosted at San Diego YC were the half-dozen J/120s that again had fantastic racing overall. However, it was pretty clear that one team happened to break-out their can of “whupass”; John Laun’s CAPER gangsters simply put the pedal-to-the-metal, tossed in some laughing gas and nitrous, kicked-in the after-burners and blew away from the fleet with straight bullets in five races for just five points total! Good Grief, Charley Brown! How did that happen?? Needless to say, it was an unexpected white-wash of a fleet that customarily sees such tight racing that the top three has often been determined on near tie-breakers. In any event, behind Laun’s amazing performance, it was Ernie Pennell’s MAD MEN that just squeaked out a silver with a 2-4-5-4-2 record for 17 pts. Taking the bronze was past regatta winner, Chuck Nichols’ CC RIDER, with a tally of 5-2-3-3-5 for 18 pts. As an illustration of how close the racing can be in the J/120s, Mike Hatch’s J-ALMIGHTY took fourth just one point back from CC RIDER with a 4-5-2-2-6 tally. And, fifth only 2 pts in arrears was Rudolph Hasl’s HASL FREE with a 3-3-6-6–3!!

The California YC hosted the fleet of J/109s and it was a new face in the crowd that won class this year. Bryce Benjamin’s PERSISTENCE from Cal YC won the event, but it was not without moments of stark terror and undeniable determination on the part of their crew! After starting with a 2-3, Benjamin’s crew posted three bullets to win the regatta by just one point. Taking the silver was Peter Nelson’s SPRAY from Cal YC with a strong showing of 1-1-3-2–2 for 9 pts total. Alice Leahey’s GRACE O’MALLEY completed the Cal YC clean sweep of the J/109 class, finishing third with a record of 3-2-2-3-3 for 13 pts.

The Southern California Yachting Association, now in its 96th year of service, facilitates member club communications, sponsors a variety of boat safety seminars, club Feb 18-19 training, legislative representation, honor awards and much more. For more SCYA Midwinters sailing information

J/CommunityWhat friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
-----------* Growing Sailing With J/70s! SAILING WORLD’s Dave Reed interviewed St Petersburg YC members about the impact of their fleet of ten brand new J/70s at the St Pete Sailing Center. Here’s their story…

“High-rise condominiums are sprouting all around St. Petersburg YC and the nightlife in once sleepy downtown St. Pete is more alive than it’s ever been. The little city is growing up, with a hip new generation of working professionals, creating a fertile pool of potential new young members to pull through the iconic pink clubhouse’s doors.

There’s change happening across the street, too, over at the yacht club’s sailing center who’s chainlink gate is a revolving door for one-designs class all winter long. This week it’s the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta and in a few days it'll be the J/70 Midwinters, and out on Tampa Bay will be a handful of members racing the club’s new sportboats.

The club purchased 10 J/70s in 2016 as part of a scheduled replacement of its Sonar fleet. The process took more than three years says SPYC waterfront director Shawn Macking. “We’re not making money on them and we don’t intend to,” he says. “We spent $500,000 on boats, but it’s just an amenity of the club, like a pool, or a dock, or whatever.”

Club member Peter Davidson, who’s racing this weekend in the NOOD's 32-boat fleet, is the programs biggest cheerleader, says Macking.

Davidson, a longtime New England snowbird, has owned a Melges 32 and a Farr 40, but in this phase of his life he’s happy to have the staff deal with nagging boat maintenance. He prefers to show up, fill the boat with friends or college-age crews, and knock off a few winter regattas.

“It’s incredible that I can call, have it ready to go, and be racing the next morning,” says Davidson. “It’s the best program out there.”

Selection took more than three years, says Macking, because their search for the right boat for the club was comprehensive. “We literally started with every boat that’s out there,” he says. “We did spreadsheets, talked to other clubs and manufacturers. We also watched closely what the Gulf Yachting Association did with their selection trials [Ed.-GYA chose the Viper 640 as its official boat]”

SPYC’s sailors range from 7 to 80, says Macking, and the J/70, especially with institutional sails, suits everybody. Before members can use a boat they must go through orientation, regardless of their sailing resume. “Once they’re checked out on boats it’s only a 50-dollar drop free,” says Macking. “We just charge it to their club account. With 24-hours-notice, we drop it in, you rig it and go have a good time. Bring it back, we take it out, wash it down and put it away.”

With the average age of St. Pete's year round residents plummeting over the past decade, the club is aggressively chasing younger members. The J/70 has simplified that task tremendously, says Macking. “A lot of what we call intermediates are joining the club and being active in the sailing program, which is exactly what we wanted,” he says. “To join the club at a discounted rate, have access to a brand new fleet of boats and sail them for 50 bucks each time — that sure beats buying a boat.”

The boats are used for weekend and twilight racing, too, and recently for the J/70 winter series at nearby Davis Island YC. That’s where Davidson was last week. He says he gets in more than enough sailing, and he’s all the happier for it.

“Peter’s a perfect example of the program’s success," says Macking. "He was looking into getting a sportboat of some type, and he loves this fleet. He’s taken full advantage of the winter series in Davis Island and we delivered the boat for him and picked it up when he’s done racing. For 300 bucks he gets a boat three-day events and walks away at the end. That’s awesome for him. He’s telling everyone about it and trying to get people to join the club because of it.”http://www.sailingworld.com/helly-hansen-nood-regatta-inside-fleet

* Robert “Morty” Morton has been sailing for decades in Newport, RI on the fabled Narragansett Bay. Recently, Morty has been paying attention to the needs of our environment, as well as enjoying better sailing boats. Starting with the latter, Morty has recently become the proud owner of a J/33 that he looks forward to sailing this summer with his family and, especially, hi son. On the former, read more about how Morty and friends in Newport are benefitting the environment in their support of the Oliver Hazard Perry Project.

“Biodiesel Sees the Sea: New Sailing School Vessel Fueled with B20. Newport Biodiesel provides 6,000 gallons of B20 for voyage ending in Cuba

A one-of-a-kind ship with a special mission is now fueled with 20 percent biodiesel as it begins a voyage from New England to Florida, then on to Cuba in March. On February 21, 2017, the 200-foot Sailing School Vessel Oliver Hazard Perry took on 6,000 gallons of B20 at Newport Shipyard in Newport, Rhode Island.

Completed in 2017, SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is the first ocean-going, full-rigged ship built in the U.S. in more than 100 years. It has the profile of an early 19th century vessel, but is a modern, state-of-the-art floating classroom hosting practical sail training as well as leadership development activities.

Newport Biodiesel, a biodiesel producer based in Rhode Island, provided the B20 blend to Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) at a discount. The federal government categorizes biodiesel, a renewable fuel, as an Advanced Biofuel.

“Supplying this ship with B20 biodiesel gives us a chance to support a worthwhile seafaring mission, while educating the public and marine industry about the environmental benefits of B20,” said Robert Morton, chairman of the board for Newport Biodiesel. “This is the largest deployment of B20 we have ever done for a marine vessel, so it represents a significant step.”

Morton, a former oceanographer, volunteers on the board of OHPRI and also serves as vice chair of the marketing committee on the National Biodiesel Board. He sees big potential for American biodiesel for marine use. Biodiesel not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to petroleum, but biodegrades in water as fast as sugar and is healthier for people to breathe.

The ship is sold out for two round-trip voyages to Cuba in March that target high school and college students, but after that, the ship sails back to Newport from Florida, via Bermuda. During the two legs of that voyage (April 2-12 and April 14-22), adults have the opportunity to learn celestial navigation and study meteorology through courses offered in partnership with Ocean Navigator Magazine.

“Despite having 20 sails and 14,000 square feet of sail area, there will certainly be times when Perry will need to use her engines as she covers an estimated 14,000 nautical miles on her journey this year,” said OHPRI Executive Director Jess Wurzbacher. “As mariners tied so closely to the ocean and appreciative of its value, we are pleased to be able to reduce pressure on non-renewable resources. We are thankful to our Marine Trade Partner Newport Biodiesel for helping us keep our commitment to being as green as possible.”

T.H. Malloy & Sons, a progressive, family-owned energy distributor based in Rhode Island, fueled the ship with one of its own biodiesel-powered fuel trucks.

Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, biodiesel is a renewable, cleaner burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines. It was the nation’s first domestically produced, commercially available advanced biofuel. NBB is the U.S. biodiesel trade association.

More About OHPRI
Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island’s mission is to provide innovative, empowering education-at-sea programs that promote personal and professional growth. The mission is achieved by partnering with schools, organizations, and universities for unique experiential learning opportunities that incorporate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) educational concepts. The non-profit organization offers a variety of onboard learning experiences to program partners as well as the broader public and also participates at festivals and other events to reinforce the importance of and interest in Rhode Island’s and America’s maritime history.

U.S. Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led the first U.S. naval victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

For more information on SSV Oliver Hazard Perry and its programs, please visit http://www.ohpri.org or contact gretchen@ohpri.org, 401-841-0080.

J/Cruisers
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific. Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands. Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination? A giant whale! Look at this amazing photo!

* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR. Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now. We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their well-documented blog here: http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html

* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again, for 2015/ 2016! We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR. Alan sent us an email update regards their various improvements and refit to the boat (see above). They will again be based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.

* Bill & Judy Stellin were interviewed about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea". The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:

Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' QuestionsAdvice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety

The article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers. We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.

WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"

Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.

Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.

People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand and points further around the Blue Planet Earth. Here is their latest update (December 2016) from Bill & Kathy:

“We completed a three year tour of the south pacific and sailed from Hobart Tasmania back to Seattle in the fall of 2012. After two seasons of local cruising, we decided to truck the boat to Rochester NY. In the summer of 2015, we sailed out the Saint Lawrence seaway and down the east coast of Nova Scotia and the US, with a few months in the Bahamas that winter. This past summer, we crossed the Atlantic with stops in Bermuda and the Azores, making landfall in Falmouth, UK. We have worked down the coast of France, Spain and Portugal and are now in Lagos Portugal. We plan on passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and spending a couple seasons in the Med.”

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.
Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

HELLY HANSEN St Pete NOOD Regatta Preview
(St Petersburg, FL)- The first of the many Sailing World NOOD Regattas will be starting this weekend in St Petersburg, FL, hosted by the St Petersburg YC. A record fleet has turned out for the event, fueled in part by the huge J/70 class. Racing will be taking place from Friday, February 17th to Sunday, February 19th on Tampa Bay. The weather forecast looks promising, with light easterlies on Friday, followed by moderate norwesterlies on Saturday and more lightish southerlies on Sunday.

The event attracts a broad cross-section of sailors in both one-design fleets as well as PHRF fleets. The event is dominated by J/crews from across America, with strong fleets in the J/24 and J/70 one-design classes, as well as a competitive contingent of J/88s, J/29s, and J/105 in the PHRF buoy racing classes. In the PHRF random-leg classes that get to roam around Tampa Bay, there will be a rematch of top teams sailing J/40s and J/42s!

The J/70 class is out in strength, again, after just completing their Quantum Winter Series last week at Davis Island YC on Tampa Bay. Thirty-four teams are headed for the starting line that include a number of top teams that had sailed in the Quantum Key West Race Week and are gunning for the J/70 Midwinters the following weekend, as well as the Bacardi Miami Sailing Week later in March. At the top of that heap is the 2016 J/70 World Champion, Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT crew from Wayzata YC in Minnesota. They will be hard pressed by a hell’s kitchen of crews that are all capable of being at the top of the leaderboard, including Darby Smith’s AFRICA from Marblehead, MA; Marty Kullman’s NEW WAVE from the host SPYC; Peter Cunningham’s POWERPLAY RACING from the Cayman Islands; Robert Willis’ RIP RULLAH from Columbia YC; Brian Keane’s SAVASANA from Beverly YC in Buzzards Bay, MA; and Rich Lehmann’s WIND CZAR from Little Traverse YC in Harbor Springs, MI. Of note for the J/70s are the very talented HELLY HANSEN Junior Crew led by Blair McCarthy from St Petersburg YC.

In the PHRF race course, it promises to be a significant “dust-up” between top J/88 crews and J/cruising crews. In PHRF 1, three J/88s are sailing, all at the top of their game. Those crews include Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION from Huguenot YC in New Rochelle, NY; Tod Patton’s BLONDIE 2 from Milwaukee YC and Northbrook, IL; and Mike Bruno’s WINGS from American YC in Rye, NY. They will be up against two J/105s, Jody Abrams’ ARIEL from SPYC and George Cussins’ FIRE & ICE from Apollo Beach, FL. Sailing in PHRF 2 are perhaps two of the fastest PHRF boats on Tampa Bay, Ray Mannix’s J/29 SEMPER FI from Largo, FL and the St Pete Sailing Association and the trio aboard the J/29 MEATIER (Brian Davies, Brian Kennalley, and Ed Mui from Chicago Corinthian YC in Chicago, IL).

The NORTH SAILS Race Rally fleet sees Jeff Russo’s J/40 INTREPID taking on Roger Gatewood’s J/42 SHAZAAM for class and line honors all weekend long! Both crews hail from the famous Davis Island YC across Tampa Bay.

While the racing on the water promises to be epic, perhaps the roughest and toughest test of sailing skills make take place ashore! This year marks the inaugural HELLY HANSEN Gutter Boat Regatta at the NOOD. Meet on the race track at 1900 hrs Saturday night at the post-race party to keep the competition alive.

Grab your “gutter boat racing kit” Thursday evening at registration, first come first serve. Take a few minutes between Registration and Saturday's party to build your winning catamaran! Foilers?? Maybe. Each kit contains a sail, trimaran frame, two pieces of balsa wood, a mast, and four screws. You may want to bring some more materials to set yours apart from the rest. The winning boat will go home with a sweet Helly Hansen trolley bag! Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ OutsideImages.com. For more Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD Regatta sailing information.
RORC Caribbean 600 Race Preview
(English Harbour, Antigua)- The RORC Caribbean 600 has quickly become an important event in ocean racing circles in the course of its short history and a 'must do' race on the calendar of those who take their ocean racing seriously. The RORC Caribbean 600 circumnavigates 11 of the Leeward Islands, starting and finishing in Antigua, going as far north as St. Maarten and as far south as Guadeloupe. The race has grown steadily in its nine-year history and the 2017 edition is due to have a new record entry of over 70 boats.

Commodore of RORC, Michael Boyd is delighted at the rapid development of the RORC Caribbean 600, “this is the tenth anniversary of the RORC Caribbean 600 and with Rolex's support we fully expect to see up to 100 boats competing. This event is quickly becoming a priority on the international racing circuit and we look forward to its continued success for many years to come.”

The 9th edition of the race starts in Antigua on 20th February 2017 at 1100. Vying for class honors will be a number of veteran offshore J/Crews from both Europe and the Americas. In Class 1 will be David Ballantyne’s J/133 WINGS from the United Kingdom. Then, in the large 27-boat Division C will be Robert Hiller’s J/122 EL OCASO from the USA, Henry Van Melle’s J/46 JENT from the Netherlands, Kevin McLaughlin’s J/44 SPICE from the USA and Andy Middleton’s J/120 SUNSET. Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com. For more RORC Caribbean 600 Race sailing informationJ/70 San Francisco Fleet Update
(San Francisco, CA)- Want to go sailing and have a fun time sailing J/70s on the fabulous San Francisco Bay?? Look no further! Click on this link and join in on the fun with the J/70 San Francisco fleet this summer!
For more J/70 San Francisco fleet sailing information.

J/22 San Francisco Chalk Talk For Women Sailors!
(San Francisco, CA)- This spring, St Francis YC member Nicole Breault will be teaching a seven-week Learn to Race Course for the yacht club’s female members. Course participants will train every Tuesday on the Club's J/22s, then put their skills to work while racing in the Wednesday Night J/22 Spring Series. The Sailing Course was opened to the Women's Committee on Friday afternoon and sold out within 24 hours. Commodore and Mrs. Kiriakis are thrilled to see this kind of enthusiasm from the members in regards to getting women out on the water, and they hope it's the start of many on-water activities to come.

To kick off the sailing course, Nicole is offering a Chalk Talk for Women on March 7 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. All women sailors from the Bay area and beyond are welcome! In this talk, Nicole will discuss the basics of sailing and fleet racing and will provide an orientation of the J/22. Refreshments included. Please go to http://wwww.Stfsf.org or call 415-563-6363.

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

While J/Boats is celebrating its 40th anniversary year, the J/24 class was celebrating its 39th annual J/24 Midwinter Championship down at Eau Gallie YC in Melbourne, Florida. If you recall a bit of history, the first J/24 Midwinter Championship took place with nineteen boats in Key West, Florida in 1978 and was won by Floridian Mark Ploch from Clearwater Beach, FL- on a boat called Red-Eye Express! This year, thirty-one boats headed for the starting line for yet another fun-loving free-for-all to determine who would be at the top of the totem pole in the world’s largest one-design keelboat class!

In addition to the J/24s enjoying good class racing down south, a number of college sailing teams also headed south to participate in another college big boat event. On this occasion, it was the College of Charleston hosting the Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta (SCOR), a PHRF handicap event for nine teams from across the USA. Again, it was through the incredible generosity of J/Boats owners that helped make the event a huge success, including a number of J/105 owners and a J/120 from the local Charleston offshore fleet.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.Ingham Crowned J/24 Midwinter Champion
(Indian Harbour Beach, FL)- Just a few days after being named US Sailing’s 2016 National Coach of the Year, Mike Ingham earned his first J/24 Midwinter Championship, helming TARHEEL. The Rochester, NY-based skipper accumulated just 23 points over eight races at Eau Gallie Yacht Club in Indian Harbour Beach, FL to dominate the 31-boat fleet. Here is how it all went down just south of “moon shot” town- NASA’s Cape Canaveral.

On the first day of racing, the sailors enjoyed clear blue skies with breeze and between 10-15 knots of breeze over four races. Keeping all his scores in the top six (6,5,2,4) put Carter White’s Sea Bags Sailing Team at the top of fleet. Mike Ingham’s Tarheel won two races, but added a 16 to give him 21 overall points for second place. Will Welles’ Bogus was two notches farther back in third.

Ingham opened the day with his first victory, ahead of Travis Odenbach’s Honeybadger and Daniel Borrer’s Jesus Lizard. Odenbach snared the next win, with Welles and Ingham completing the top trio. White and Todd Fedyszyn’s Spoony Tactics watched Welles cross the finish line first in race three, before Ingham succeeded in the day’s final battle (followed by John Poulson’s Long Shot and Andrew Carey’s Mr. Hankey).

On the second day, another four races were completed Saturday. With eight races now in the books, Mike Ingham’s Tarheel and Travis Odenbach’s Honeybadger were tied on points at 23 going into the final day of racing on Sunday. Carter White’s Sea Bags Sailing Team sat in third place with 29 points.

In winds between 6-8 knots following a brief onshore postponement, John Poulson’s Long Shot began the day with his first of two bullets, trailed by Ingham and White. John Mollicone’s Helly Hansen earned line honors in race 6, as Ingham took another second and Even Petley-Jones’ Lifted placed third. With a victory in the next battle, Odenbach made a move up the leaderboard (Aidan Glackin’s Mental Floss and Mollicone rounded out the top group) before Poulson ended the day the way he started it (Will Welles’ Bogus and White followed).

The third day dawned with a virtual mill pond, a condition sailors often describe as a “glass-out”- flat water and the sky being reflected on the surface. With no promise of wind in sight, despite everyone’s best efforts, all races were cancelled on Sunday due to the lack of breeze. As a result, Ingham was declared the 2017 J/24 Midwinter Champion. Travis Odenbach’s Honeybadger was initially tied on points with Ingham after Saturday’s races, but a scoring penalty was later posted, leaving Odenbach with 29 points and second place, which is where he ended up after no races were completed Sunday due to lack of breeze. Both John Mollicone’s Helly Hansen and Carter White’s Sea Bags Sailing Team also tallied 29 points, with Mollicone clearing the tie-breaker for third place. Will Welles’ Bogus captured the fifth position with 41 points. “It was really hard to be consistent,” shared Ingham. “It was too shifty. If you got out of phase, it was really hard to get back.”

Sailing with Tucker Gilliam (bow), Scott Smith (mast), Scott Griffin (tactics) and Paul Abdullah (trimmer), Ingham now proudly holds The Lambert Lai Trophy, named in honor of the previous USJCA President who passed away in 2014 and also raced in the Rochester, NY fleet. Team Tarheel was previously led by Peter Bream, who died last October. Ingham has sailed the boat for the last two regattas. “The fun thing about this is it’s the Tarheel team, which was really Peter getting these guys sailing when they were younger,” explained Ingham. “I had this feeling that I needed to do him proud. And I don’t mean winning. I mean just being a sportsman because that’s the way he was.” For more J/24 Midwinters sailing informationUSF Wins Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta
(Charleston, SC)- Nine universities from across the U.S. competed in the Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta, held February 11-12 in Charleston, SC. Held in keelboats using PHRF, the 7-race series was won by University of South Florida. The competition was staged in a fleet of donated boats randomly assigned to the nine teams with racing inside Charleston Harbor on medium-distance courses.

The University of South Florida team won on the J/105 JOYRIDE with an amazing record of 5-1-2-1-4-1-2 for just 16 pts total. Not far off the pace in third place were the College of Charleston racing the J/120 ILLYRIA with an extremely consistent scoreline of 3-2-3-2-2-2 for 24 pts total, losing a tie-breaker for the silver based on 1st’s against another team. Securing 5th position on the J/105 SKIMMER was the Vanderbilt University team with a total of 43 pts.

J/CommunityWhat friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
-----------* Tim Winger wins major US Sailing award for work with J/24 Class!
A remarkable list of sailing’s most accomplished contributors received high honors during Wednesday night’s US Sailing Awards Dinner at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. US Sailing recognized these esteemed award winners for their extraordinary achievements in support of sailing in the United States. The awards dinner is a featured event at US Sailing’s 2017 National Conference.

Tim Winger (Lancaster, Pa.) was awarded the Harman Hawkins Trophy for his contributions to race administration as a measurer and equipment inspector. Winger sustained a passion for the J/24 the first time he saw one, and he has been sailing and working on J/24s ever since. He has exerted a major influence on the class for over 30 years.

Winger has held numerous positions related to J/24 sailing, including event measurer at seven of the 20 J/24 World Championships he has attended, district governor for the J/24 USA Class Association, and member of the executive committee of the International J/24 Class Association, where he currently serves as chair of the technical committee. Perhaps his most significant achievement was the effort he led to rewrite the class rules and the modifications required to gain World Sailing’s approval – a project that ultimately took over three years.

“The people behind the scenes make it possible for us to control the equipment and develop the tools and procedures for enforcement of the rules,” said Winger. “Thank you to US Sailing for supporting the sport we all love.”

An International Measurer (IM) since 2008, Winger has measured hundreds of boats at venues all over the world. His wife, Marie, often travels with him and shares in the measurement work.

“Between us we’ve seen the bottoms of more J/24s than anyone in the word,” added Winger.

Alex Finsterbusch, an IM from Argentina, said, “One of his many abilities is to recognize what your strengths are as an inspector. He always had the right guy in the right position. He is always calm, never loses his cool and is polite to sailors, coaches and everybody involved in the regatta.” Learn more here about the US Sailing Awards.

* Another awesome J/34 IOR KNEE DEEP sailing video! Here is yet another nicely produced summary of sailing experiences over their 2016 sailing season from Brett Langolf and crew that race on Lake Erie out of Cleveland.

J/Cruisers
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific. Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands. Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination? A giant whale! Look at this amazing photo!

* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR. Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now. We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their well-documented blog here: http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html

* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again, for 2015/ 2016! We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR. Alan sent us an email update regards their various improvements and refit to the boat (see above). They will again be based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.

* Bill & Judy Stellin were interviewed about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea". The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:

Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' QuestionsAdvice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety

The article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers. We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.

WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"

Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.

Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.

People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand and points further around the Blue Planet Earth. Here is their latest update (December 2016) from Bill & Kathy:

“We completed a three year tour of the south pacific and sailed from Hobart Tasmania back to Seattle in the fall of 2012. After two seasons of local cruising, we decided to truck the boat to Rochester NY. In the summer of 2015, we sailed out the Saint Lawrence seaway and down the east coast of Nova Scotia and the US, with a few months in the Bahamas that winter. This past summer, we crossed the Atlantic with stops in Bermuda and the Azores, making landfall in Falmouth, UK. We have worked down the coast of France, Spain and Portugal and are now in Lagos Portugal. We plan on passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and spending a couple seasons in the Med.”

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.
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Wednesday, February 8, 2017

U.S. J/70 Youth Champs UpdateWin a FREE J/70 for your Sailing Club!
(Newport, RI)- The first annual U.S. J/70 Youth Championship will take place concurrent with the J/FEST New England Regatta from August 11th to 13th on beautiful Narragansett Bay. The event will be hosted by the famous crew at SAIL NEWPORT, Newport, Rhode Island and hosted at their extraordinary facility at Fort Adams State Park.

Interest has been strong from various youth teams across the country; with crews already gearing up for the J/70 Midwinters in St Petersburg, FL, hosted by St Petersburg YC and also the Helly Hansen San Diego NOOD Regatta, hosted by San Diego YC in San Diego, CA.

The goal of this event is to help develop and build leading-edge junior keelboat sailing programs across America. The winning club of this event will get "free” usage of a fully equipped International J/70 one-design class sailboat, with sails and trailer, provided "free of charge” by J/Boats, to the winning sailing club and its membership for twelve months.

The U.S. J/70 Youth Championship (USJYC) is open to eleven (11) Youth Teams representing US Sailing recognized Sailing Clubs or Organizations. Sailing clubs may enter more than one youth team per event, but may only qualify one team for the USJYC championship in Newport, RI.

The 11 Youth Teams will compete on eleven brand new J/70 Class sailboats with class sails (main, jib, spinnaker) that comply with J/70 Class rules. The boats will be identically rigged and tuned at “base settings” that are recommended by the sailmaker.

In order to qualify for the eleven slots, youth teams must qualify for entry by being the top scoring Youth Team in the J/70 Class at one of the following Regattas:

Here is the USJYC Notice of Race. For more U.S. J/70 Youth Championship information, please contact J/Boats at “info@jboats.com” or refer to the website- http://www.jboats.com/j70-youth-championshipNew York YC 163rd Annual Regatta AnnouncementLarge Contingent of J/Teams Plan Participation
(Newport, RI)- The oldest regatta, hottest new (and classic) boats, best sailors, fabulous sailing conditions, and unmatched shoreside amenities and hospitality (massive cocktail parties) that only the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court and Newport, R.I., can offer. All these things and more make the 163rd New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, June 9 to 11, the event to attend this coming summer.

The format is familiar to any repeat participants: Three days of racing, including Friday’s Around-the-Island Race, a rockin’ regatta banquet on Saturday night, and post-racing socials on the other two evenings. The list of invited yachts includes IRC racers and One-Designs. PHRF Navigator racing will be available for those who prefer a more casual brand of competition sailing random-leg events in Narragansett Bay.

As in years past, one-design classes are anticipated for J/88’s, J/105’s and J/109s. Multiple J/teams will be participating in the IRC and PHRF categories, including J/35s, J/109s, J/120s, J/122s, J/111s, J/44s and others. Remember, last year’s crazy Around the Island Race?? A J/35 from Houston, Texas won the overall trophy and the Rolex Submariner watch!! Good times were certainly had by that happy crew on LEADING EDGE! Sailing photo credits- ROLEX/ Daniel Forster Block off your calendar now and start making plans to be on the starting line. NOR and entry forms available here.Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race UpdateTop J/Boat Team Wins Balthazar of Champagne!
(Marblehead, MA)- Registration is open for the biennial Marblehead to Halifax Ocean race that starts off Marblehead Neck on July 9th. The 363-nautical mile Marblehead to Halifax is one of the oldest races on the eastern seaboard, beginning in 1905. It's co-sponsored by the Boston Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax.

The race has been a popular one for J/sailors across the northeastern seaboard, with class and overall wins taken by J/Teams over the course of time- J/35s, J/40s, J/44s, J/120s, J/111s all have garnered silverware in this famous race.

What is the latest, exciting news!? Jennie Aspinall, Vice Commodore of the Boston Yacht Club and Chair of the 2017 event, has a challenge for J/Boat sailors, “We are looking forward to a full fleet of competitors at the starting line in July. If there are eighteen (18) or more J/Teams sailing in this year’s race, we will offer the winning J/Team a Balthazar of champagne (worth 16 bottles!), plus second place a Salmanazar (worth 12 bottles) and third place a Methuselah (8 bottles worth)!” Time to get motivated to win a prize that not even any America’s Cup winners enjoyed in their last champagne bath in San Francisco!! Just one of those bottles can start a party! For more Marblehead Halifax Race registration and sailing informationJ/24 Midwinters Preview
(Indian Harbour Beach, FL)- Casts of thousands are headed south to the gorgeous, soft shell sand beaches of Florida, all escapees from the nasty northeaster blizzard called “Niko”, a deepening low pressure weather system that underwent "bombogensis" and wrecked havoc on the northeastern parts of the USA. In that massive migration south, over two dozen J/24 sailors are headed to their 39th annual J/24 Midwinter Championship, hosted by the pretty Eau Gallie Yacht Club located in Indian Harbour Beach, FL. The regatta is running from February 10th to 12th with up to ten races planned.

Thirty-five J/24s will be launching at their deep-water marina located at the mouth of the “big” Banana River just off the Intra-Coastal waterway on Florida’s east coast. Immediately north of where the fleet will be sailing is the famous “moon shot” complex, NASA’s Cape Canaveral, home of the famous Space Shuttles and the massive Saturn 1B launch rocket- capable of tossing 21 TONS into orbit! That’s a lot of bananas!

The fleet consists of the usual rogue’s gallery of sailors who will tell you that not one sportsboat sailor on the planet, from any class or brand, can finish in the top three of any major J/24 regatta. They may have a point there, since most sportboat crews would have no clue what to do with a triangular-shaped piece of nylon flown off a pole that you have to connect to a ring on the mast and, then, be careful not to fall overboard while doing the “watusi” on the foredeck! That takes talent, for sure!

Leading the charge for the locals might be none other than the first International J/24 Class President, Dick Tillman. Tillman will be skippering INTRACOASTAL BREWERY from Merritt Island, FL. Other Melbourne YC members supporting the event are Brad Stowers’ DOUBLE DARE, John Tworkowski’s FINE FINISH, Robert Rastello’s FOSSIL, Paul Anstey’s J-PEAS, and Chris Gates’ FLASHBACK. Local knowledge is a good thing in them there parts, something about “rednecks” knowing the waters and stuff about ‘gators and chickunz’, all related to tides and currents, of course.

Hoping to overcome the “locals” natural advantage are a heap of World, European, North American, Midwinter Champions from days of glory gone past. John Mollicone’s HELLY HANSEN from SAIL NEWPORT in Newport, RI may top that list (has a few World Champions on board). Others hoping to top the leaderboard certainly include Travis Odenbach’s infamous HONEYBADGER from Rochester YC; Todd Fedyszyn’s SPOONY TACTICS from Davis Island YC; Carter White’s Maine-iacs on board SEA BAGS SAILING TEAM from Portland YC; Will Welles’ BOGUS from Mount Desert Island Sailing Club in Newport, RI; Robby Brown’s ANGEL OF HARLEM crew (not from NY!) from Davis Island YC; Mike Ingham’s TARHEEL from Rochester YC; and Aidan Glackin’s MENTAL FLOSS FROM Lloyd Harbor YC in New York. Traveling from north of the border are Evan Petley-Jones from the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, Nova Scotia (long drive boys!) and Nathan Bresett’s WOODCHUCK from Bay of Quinte YC in Belleville, Ontario. For more J/24 Midwinters sailing informationJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

The past week saw the un-official start of the 2017 sailing season in one of the world’s favorite sailing venues- San Francisco Bay. That notable event is marked by the participation of hundreds of Bay area sailors in one of the most fun (and notorious) “races” imaginable- the Three Bridge Fiasco hosted by San Francisco’s Singlehanded Sailing Society for 325+ boats. Score of J/crews participated, both in singlehanded divisions and also doublehanded divisions, many came home with more “pickle dishes” to add to their overloaded trophy rooms! On the eastern seaboard, the Quantum J/70 Winter Series concluded its third and final regatta on Tampa Bay. Fifty-six boats participated in the finale with some new faces and teams poking into the top of the leaderboard. Davis Island YC hosted a magnificent series, despite the sometimes insurmountable challenges presented by fickle Tampa Bay winter weather patterns. Facing similar issues were the teams participating in the 9th Conch Republic Cup Regatta that took place between Key West, Florida and two ports in Cuba- Havana and Varadero. This event was also flummoxed by incorrigible weather patterns.

Meanwhile, hopping across the Atlantic to the mighty Mediterranean, we find YC Monaco hosting their famous Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse off Monte Carlo, Monaco. They changed the format to a single regatta with three days of racing in Hercules Bay; it was a popular change with a record 50+ J/70s, the largest fleet in the regatta by a catapult shot.

Then, back Down Under, the southern-most J/88 on Planet Earth has been having a tremendous amount of fun shocking larger rivals in the offshore yacht racing circuit in Hobart, Tasmania- the famous finish on the River Derwent for the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below has many entertaining stories and news about J/Sailors as well as cruising blogs about those who continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.Brazilians Samba To PRIMO CUP XXXIII Win!
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- This year’s Primo Cup– Trophée Credit Suisse regatta, hosted by the YC Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco was full of surprises. For one, no one expected so many shocking performances at the top of the J/70 class leaderboard. French, Polish, Swiss, Russian, Italian, German, Monaco and Brazilian sailors in the top ten of the J/70 fleet? What?! Is this a “politically correct” United Nations sailing event? Not! It’s just the natural evolution of the world’s largest and fastest growing sportsboat class; a class that could be defined as one famous British journalist labeled the J/24 class in its infancy in 1978- “the Laser with a lid”! Everyone and anyone can get up to speed fast! For the world’s top sailors and tacticians, that’s a scary scenario. But, also a fun one. That means top amateur crews can be competitive in a short period of time. In Europe, that evolution has been turbo-charged by the J/70 sailing leagues pioneered by the Germans and led by SAP Sports and Oliver Schwall’s marketing crew in Hamburg, Germany.

It was time for a “samba pa ti” at YC Monaco for the awards celebration! The hot "Ipanema-like" tempo for this year’s regatta was set on the first day for the fleet of fifty (50) J/70s sailing in the famous Hercules Bay. From day one, the Brazilian team from YC Rio de Janeiro on MANDACHUVA, skippered by Mario Soerensen Garcia, with Mauricio Santa Cruz calling tactics (a 4x J/24 World Champion), simply smoked the fleet, posting two bullets over the star-struck fleet. They never looked back, posting two more bullets on the final day to win by a significant margin. The famous beaches and streets of Rio were celebrating well into the night; Brazil had yet another feather in their cap, besides other sailing and soccer (futbol) World Cups (and Olympic Gold Medals) to their credit!

The first day produced the best the Monegasque club’s PRO could offer to the incredibly competitive J/70 fleet. The sailors enjoyed a brisk 20-knot southwesterly with a light chop, giving everyone a chance to prove their tactical prowess. Of the twelve nations participating, no one expected a bunch of samba-crazed Brazilians to lead the fleet with such a dominating performance. Hot on their heels, and learning frighteningly fast, were the French team of GIVE ME FIVE from CN Sainte-Maxime, led by Adrien Follin. The GIVE ME FIVE team posted an equally blistering tally of 3-2 to be within striking distance of the lead. Lying in third after day one was Poland’s EWA, skippered by Krzysztof Krempec from YC Pologne with a 2-4. They were followed in fourth place by a local Monegasque crew, Ludovico Fassitelli’s crew on JUNDA BANCA DEL SEMPIONE with a 4-8 and in fifth was the Swiss Lake Geneva crew of CER APROTEC skippered by Nelson Mettraux from Societe Nautique de Geneve. Just behind them was the German team of SANNA R skippered by Gerd Knospe from VSaW.

On the final day, rain tried to delay playtime, but it was not enough to cool the ardor of those on the water, delighted to be in the thick of the action. For YC Monaco General Secretary, Bernard d’Alessandro, there was satisfaction in the scene unfolding before their magnificent club on the Mediterranean Riviera, “It is always a pleasure to see so many seasoned and amateur sailors racing in the Principality. It was an excellent turnout and we had ideal conditions every day, so I am delighted it has been a success.”

Clean starts, masterful mark roundings, impeccable control on downwind maneuvers, and smiles from ear-to-ear at the finish! Yes, the Brazilians on MANDACHUVA really enjoyed themselves at this year’s Primo Cup–Trophée Credit Suisse. “It was a wonderful regatta. The level was high and there was everything to play for,” said helmsman, Mario Soerensen Garcia. The team blew away their rivals on the downwind legs, keeping the boat flat and exploiting the waves for surfing (remember images of those massive waves at the Rio 2016 Olympics sailing venue offshore? They sail in that stuff for “beer can” races! No wonder). By winning every race, they left Frenchman Adrien Follin’s crew on GIVE ME FIVE no chance but 2nd in the final ranking, 9 points adrift. As for locals, Ludovico Fassitelli’s JUNDA BANCA DEL SEMPIONE, European Vice-Champion and Yacht Club de Monaco member, made a spectacular comeback to clinch 3rd place.

Rounding out the top five were Krempec’s Polish crew on EWA in 4th place and Mettraux’s Swiss crew on CER APROTEC in fifth place. In fact, there were eight nations represented in the top nine teams! Sixth place was Knospe’s German team on SANNA R, seventh was Germano Scarpa’s Italian crew on SPORT CUBE from YC Costa Smeralda (host of the 2017 J/70 Worlds), eighth was Alain Stettler’s German contingent on QUARTER 2 ELEVEN from Regatta Club Oberhofen, and ninth was Dmitry Shunin’s Russian crew from Moscow on GOLDEN WINGS, a Konakovo Sailing Club team.

Another special feature of the Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse was that all crew members in the first three boats in the J/70 class received clothing from SLAM’s Advanced Technology Sportswear!

The grand finale for the YC Monaco J/70 Winter Sportsboat Series is set for 3-5 March in Monaco! Perhaps one of those top teams on the podium for the series may be Russia’s top woman sailor, Valerya Kovalenko on Team ARTTUBE from Moscow, Russia. Watch a nice Primo Cup- Credit Suisse sailing video summary here. For more J/70 Primo Cup/ Winter Series sailing informationSTAMPEDE Two-Peats Quantum J/70 SeriesBLACK RIVER RACING Tops QJWS III
(Tampa, FL)- Fifty-six J/70 teams qualified to win the 2016-2017 Quantum J/70 Winter Series at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida by competing in at least two of the three weekends with the same boat and skipper. Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE placed third overall in Saturday’s three races before the wind died to secure the Series victory (no races were completed Sunday due to lack of breeze). Darby Smith’s AFRICA earned the silver position in the series (and as Top Women’s Skipper), with Doug Strebel and Jay Lutz’s BLACK RIVER RACING in the bronze.

The QUANTUM J/70 Winter Series Corinthian division was won by Andrew Loe’s DIME PIECE, followed by Andrew Fisher’s BUTTON FLY and Mark Allen on MACRO CONNECT.

The popular Series on Tampa Bay spans three weekends of racing between early December and February, allowing participants to store their boats on-site for a reasonable fee. Alex Meleney of TRUCKIN’ US 343, said, “I want the J/70 Class leadership to know how much I enjoy going down to the Davis Island three-weekend Series during the winter. My northern crew likes to come, and it is easy to get local fill-ins. As a Corinthian, the Series is a great learning opportunity.”

How did the final event off Davis Island go that concluded the outcome of the series? Unsurprisingly, many new faces were in the crowd post Key West Race Week. It was a record turnout for the event, likely due to the fact that three weeks later is the Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD Regatta hosted by the St Petersburg YC and then, just one week later, the J/70 Midwinters hosted by SPYC in the same venue! Lots of activity on sunny, warm Tampa Bay when all hell is breaking loose weather-wise in the northern parts of the continent.

The regatta weather forecast was variable, at best. There was promise of at least one good day of racing, followed by scramble by the DIYC PRO and the fleet to get in enough sailing on Sunday. At the end, there were just three races to determine the winners in the third QJWS event. Doug Strebel’s BLACK RIVER RACING from Houston, TX, sailing with the famous PanAm Gold Medal winners Jay and Jody Lutz, stayed out of trouble to win the regatta with a 1-1-12 for 14 pts. Not far off the pace was Peter Cunningham’s POWEPLAY, sailing a consistent 2-5-8 for 15 pts to take second. Third was Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE, fourth was Robert Willis’ RIP RULLAH from Columbia YC in Chicago, IL and fifth place was taken by Josh Goldman’s BUILDING A from Cedar Point YC in Cedar Point, CT.

Taking the honors in the Corinthian fleet of 24 boats was Mark Allen’s MACRO CONNECT from Pontiac YC in Pontiac, MI. Seattle YC’s Andrew Loe guided DIME PIECE into second, while Jon Pollak’s MONKEY BUSINESS from Severn Sailing Association took the bronze. For more Quantum J/70 Winter Series sailing information.J/88 Razzes Offshore Fleet In Taz!
(Hobart, Tasmania)- Australia’s southern-most J/88 has been competing in the Combined Clubs Long Race series out of Hobart, Tasmania, and has recently claimed its first corrected time victory against much larger boats. The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, the Derwent Sailing Squadron and the Bellerive Yacht Club conduct the long race series jointly, with races typically being 30-50 nautical miles in length. There are 28 yachts competing in the mixed fleet, including a Reichel Pugh 66, Marten 49 and Sydney 47.

New J/88 owners Peter and Karen Davis have raced JIYUU in the first 3 races of the season, and have scored results of 9, 3 and 1 on AMS corrected time. The first race down the Dentrecasteaux Channel was a real test for their first outing, with winds reaching 50 knots on the beat back up the river.

“We saw 18 knots on the speedo whilst running down the river under A2,” said Peter, “but unfortunately broached just before the leeward mark which took the edge off the day”.

The second race was a more manageable affair, and a building sea breeze saw the J/88 run up the river under (new) A2 to catch a number of larger boats.

The third race was the highlight, with a lot of spinnaker work, and a delightful sunny day with light winds.

“We found the J/88 kept moving in the lighter breezes, and accelerated rapidly under kite when the breeze came in,” said Peter. The J/88 finished 12th on line honours, and first overall on corrected time. For more J/88 sailboat informationAnother Glorious 3 Bridge FiascoJ/Crews Collecting More Pickle Dishes!
(San Francisco, CA)- The 362 entries in the Singlehanded Sailing Society's 2017 edition of the Three Bridge Fiasco had more wind than predicted; except when they had none at all. One of the factors that makes the race a real “fiasco” is that the crews, all singlehanded and doublehanded, must choose which way to start and finish and which direction to sail around the three marks: Blackaller Buoy near the Golden Gate Bridge, Red Rock just south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and Yerba Buena Island in the middle of the Bay Bridge.

The clockwise pack had a restart when the wind died north of Treasure Island. Fortunately, the current on this patch of water was mellow, though at least one boat dropped an anchor.

Kame Richards, a local sailmaker and highly successful racer, offered some advice about strategy at the skippers' meeting on Wednesday. "If you go clockwise you're statistically in an okay group," he commented. Probably 95% of the racers went clockwise on Saturday, but this year it was the contrarians who finished first. "The tidebooks are going to be wrong," stated Richards. "The tides will not be normal.” He was right on that score. It wasn't so simple as flood turning to ebb. Rip currents abounded. The velocity of rushing water in some places was unusual on the Bay. Patches of meringue and weird whirlpools popped up in seemingly random places, all adding to the day's challenges.

With so little breeze and such strong currents, the starboard rounding of Yerba Buena was far trickier than the much earlier port rounding of it by the CCW boats had been. Some boats were dragged into the island and ran aground, others piled up into a buoy tender docked at the Coast Guard station there.

Some of the clockwise crews had fretted about typically light air at Red Rock and the flood turning to ebb, so they went straight to Red Rock after the start, leaving Blackaller Buoy for last. (As it turned out, there was plenty of breeze at Red Rock, though the ebb did start early there). In the late afternoon, this group shot toward the Golden Gate Bridge on a river of 4- to 5-knot ebb. Turning toward shore, they found an equivalent back eddy of flood surrounding their last mark. As Kame explained: "When it's ebbing very hard, all the water can't fit under the Golden Gate Bridge. Some of it hits Fort Point and gets bounced back along the City-front." (Thanks to Latitude 38 for intro).

Despite the often-challenging conditions, it was Tony Castruccio’s J/30 WIND SPEED that won Class 1- Singlehanded Monohull overall, plus winning class! Just behind him, finishing 5th overall in class was the J/24 IRISH BLESSING sailed by Chad Peddy! In the Class 2 Singlehanded Spin division, the J/88 WHITE SHADOW sailed by Jim Hopp took home the silver, followed by Todd Olsen’s J/92S WINDTRIP INFINITY in third.

In the Doublehanded world, there were several notable performances. In Class 10 Double Non-Spin, the J/124 SPIRIT OF FREEDOM sailed by Bill Mohr & Reid Rankin placed 4th, while another stablemate, the J/88 INCONCEIVABLE sailed by Steven & Zach Gordon took fifth position.

Winning Class 11 Double Spin was the J/125 CAN’T TOUCH THIS sailed by Rich Pipkin & Mary McGrath. Just off the pace in 6th place was Howard Turner & Jay Crum’s J/111 SYMMETRY. Also, in the top ten in this class were Doug Bailey & Brian Capehart’s J/105 AKULA in 8th and James Goldberg & Lana Chang’s J/109 JUNKYARD DOG in 10th place.

The Double SF Bay 30 class was one of the closest fought finishes in the entire fleet between three J/32s and two J/30s. Winning was Luther & Robert Izmirian’s J/32 PARADIGM, just 2:28 ahead of 2nd place finishers, Jenny Thompson & Chris Jensen’s J/30 FRICTION LOSS. Third was yet another J/30 only 1:18 further back, Peter Jermyn & Curt Brown’s IONE. Fourth was Lewis Lanier & Galen Loving’s J/32 STRATOCASTER and fifth was John Riley & Larry Weinhoff’s J/32 LA DOLCE VITA.

At the top of the Double J/70 class was Morgan & Jordan Paxhia’s PENNY PINCHER with a narrow 3min lead over Davis King & Tim Anto’s ALLONS-Y. Taking third was Fabio Maino & Felice Bonardi’s SCILLA and 4th, only 17sec back was Scott Sellers & Geoff McDonald’s 1FA! Sailing photos- Erik Simonson / www.pressure-drop.us For more Three Bridge Fiasco sailing informationJ/122 Stars in Conch Republic Cup!
(Key West, FL)- This year’s version of the Conch Republic Cup regatta, hosted by the Key West Community Sailing Center and the Club Nautico Internacional Hemingway, was a bit of an anti-climactic event and might have been termed “the three leg fiasco”. The weather Godz simply would not cooperate for the fleet of 20+ boats. In fact, the weather was extreme, with light airs predominating for the first leg across the Gulf Stream from the start at Key West, FL to Varadero, Cuba along the northeastern shoreline of the island. Then, the next leg westward down the Cuban coastline from Varadero to Havana was blown out due to a massive cold front sweeping across the Gulf Stream. The in-port race in Havana was also canceled, this time due to no wind. So, the regatta organizers decided to do a mash-up of trophies and honors using the final leg from Havana back across the Stream to Key West!!

Despite the somewhat catastrophic weather forecast, JD Hill’s beautiful navy blue J/122 SECOND STAR from Dallas, Texas, fresh off a Quantum Key West Race Week class win, elected to start the regatta. As a result, those Texas storm troopers took off on Sunday afternoon after Race Week hangover and headed out across the Gulf Stream in the Key West to Varadero Race for the Michele Geslin Memorial Cup. In the end, Hill’s SECOND STAR crushed the 8-boat PHRF fleet to win the trophy, celebrating their good fortune with loads of delicious Cuban mojito’s and plenty of awesome Cuban cigars. However, by the next day, it was clear Mother Nature was not cooperating for the rest of the week, so the Texas crew elected to head home early. Sailing photo credits- Alan Clark/ Photoboat.com. For more Conch Republic Cup sailing information

J/CommunityWhat friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
-----------* An Enduring Favorite on San Francisco Bay: the J/105. The Biggest Fleet on the Bay: J/105 Fleet 1 San Francisco. An Enduring Model for J/Boats: Fleet 1 and the J/105. Learn more from this article written by Martha Blanchfield, RenegadeSailing.com, as appeared in the February Latitude 38.

Within the U.S., the J/105 remains one of the most successful one-design keelboat classes in the over 30-foot range, with major fleets located in Chicago, Annapolis, San Diego, Houston, Marblehead, Cleveland, Seattle and San Francisco. There are two international fleets: J/105 Canada class in Toronto, ONT, and the J/105 Chile Class. Shares J/Newsletter publisher, Stuart Johnstone, "J/Boats also ‘technically’ has fleets on the Solent in the U.K. and the Netherlands, but rarely more than five to six boats show up for events.”

San Francisco J/105 Fleet 1 lists 73 member boats, which makes it the largest and likely most active, one-design on the Bay. What’s the recipe for success? Much of it starts with an invention in 1991.

A Design For Success
In the late 1980’s/early 90s, having routinely participated in the Ultimate Yacht Race series for Ultimate 30s and One-Design 14s, Rhode Island brothers Stuart and Peter Johnstone got an idea to create a keelboat that relied on the same simple sprit + asym combo of these two boats. Not an outlandish notion—being members of the J/Boats legacy known for their top selling models J/24 (introduced in 1977) and J/22 (introduced in 1983).

In 1990, the duo was discussing the idea of an asymmetric spinnaker keelboat design with their 63-year-old father. Shares Johnstone, "Fast is fun when it's easy! So, our next design was either going to be a 23-foot J/70 or the 34.5 foot J/105. My Dad (Bob) won that debate since he wanted to sail in comfort both offshore and around the buoys. Uncle Rod (Rodney Johnstone- the designer) initiated the design on the J/105 (LOA 34.50 foot) in 1990 and launched it in 1991.” An interesting tidbit— the J/105 design was also based on input from the late Sir Peter Blake. Adds Johnstone, “We were engaged in working on a J/65 offshore racer for the Whitbread Race (Volvo Ocean Race). Every time we ran the J/65 design through Peter's global weather model it got faster. In other words, the design got beamier and flatter aft.” Requirements for that J/65’s offshore, fast-reaching machine ended up shaping parameters for the J/105, as well as an eventual J/65 offshore cruiser, a limited production custom build model.

Twenty-five years later and the J/105 remains incredibly popular, surpassed in annual sales only within the last three years (35 to 37 foot marketplace) by the J/111 model. Globally, more than 680 J/105 boats can be counted. What started off as a vision to be a fun offshore PHRF boat easily handled by five or six crew, has become a one-design class with longevity. Johnstone says, “We see strong on-going demand for its purchase as a used boat, and the investment is not only affordable, but preserves its value. In Europe, it has become a de facto single or double-handed boat in IRC/ORC events in the RORC and European offshore circuit. The J/105 has won the Fastnet Race in the 2H class three times, plus several RORC Channel races. Crews have campaigned J/105s to wins in the Transpac Race in the double-handed, as well as full crew, divisions on more than one occasion. And, today, a huge 105 fleet has developed down in Chile, with fleets in Algarrobo and Puerto Montt- fleet popularity continues to grow down there since they modified the rules to be family-friendly; a mandatory steering wheel (so kids can drive) and unlimited crew (within the weight limit, so lots of kids can sail)- a brilliant idea the American fleet should adopt!”

Lore and Legacy of a First: Fleet 1
Fleet 1 was formed in 1994 by Don Trask, the J/Boats dealer in Alameda, plus Art Ball and Chris Corlett who sold and promoted the boat. Today, the group is very active in local racing, and major regattas can draw 25 or more boats to the start line. Crews race year round with tier A and B events. A events require the boat must be weighed by the fleet measurer. A events stipulate a total crew weight limit of 1,044 pounds, and there is a new sail limit of no more than two or three per year, alternating. Additionally, the skipper must be an owner (with some rare exceptions). The class permits only Category 1 sailors (non-professionals), although a full owner may be Category 3 sailor (professional). B events are not governed by requirements of A.

One veteran skipper/owner is Theresa Brandner, owner of Walloping Swede. A dedicated A series racer, Brandner has competed right up to 8.5 months into a pregnancy. And once her daughter was born, she joined after only two months. Tucked safely below within line of sight, she always responded with a squeal of happiness when mom talked to her from the above cockpit during the time that the boat was being delivered to and from the races. Another fun fact about Brandner: a vendor is marketing her t-shirt design that says “I used to chase the boys, now I pass them,” accompanied by the Lima, AKA “Follow me,” flag.

This group has personality. Names such as Natural Blonde, Hazardous Waste and We Be Jammin' can be seen. One competitor reveals there’s a skipper who knows, and apparently sings, every word of T-Pain’s “I’m on a boat.”

Brandner adds, “During the dotcom boom everyone wanted a J/105, including people who hadn't really raced before. We saw more than 33 boats on the start, so chaos was expected. There were a lot of collisions, protests, drama, and the fleet developed a very bad reputation.” Around 2004 an annual mandatory rules/tactics seminar, with a penalty on an owner’s season score if the boat did not show up, was established. “That helped. Collisions and protests are far more scarce now.”

Gunning It at ROLEX Big Boats
Bowman Tone Chin is a regular Fleet 1 racer. Just before the 2016 ROLEX Big Boats Series in San Francisco he quietly asserted- watch Godot! We’ve got a shot at winning it.” Chin, one of three recent crew pick-ups last season, was all grins at the St. Francis Yacht Club day three of competition. After a rough start (15–3–7 finishes in a division with 26 boats), the crew pulled together on the remaining race days to strike a 1-1-1-2 tally. As a result, they just edged past Blackhawk for the Rolex win. Owner and skipper Phillip Laby wrapped the season with not only a 2016 Big Boats success, but also recognition for being overall best of the fleet for the year.

Laby, a Southern California native who grew up racing Lasers and similar small boats, has been active in Fleet 1 competition for several years. Following a move to San Francisco Bay Area in 2006, plus a 20-year sailing hiatus, he re-engaged with the sport, spending time with various local fleets. “I came to favor being aboard the J/105,” he exclaims. “The San Francisco Fleet 1 is large and competitive—both attractions for me.” Within a year he and boat partners Rich and Mary Pipkins had acquired hull 375- Racer X. Says Laby, “We had a lot to learn and climbed a steep curve. The first year saw too many shrimps, fouled maneuvers, third row starts and lots of upwind speed, but no point. In 2008 we finished 8th overall, the following year 7th, and broke the top five with a 5th in 2010.”

They raced together for approximately three years prior to an amicable parting in 2011 (the Pipkins now campaign Racer X in single-handed events) when Laby came upon hull number 44 Orion. When hunting to purchase, he opted for models built in the early nineties. “The newer boats came with more bells, whistles and inventories, but I sail with a minimum of instrumentation. The older boats were less expensive, and since I was moving from a partnership to a solo program I favored the cost savings.” Renaming the boat to Godot has a story, “I reference the 1950’s play “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett, in which the main characters wait endlessly for the arrival of the infamous Godot. In the meantime, the audience experiences the characters’ friendships and how their shared vision binds them together. Pursuing a vision connects us to our passions and those with shared interests. Naming my boat Godot helps remind me it’s all about the journey.”

He immediately set to building a team. “There is plenty of talent in the Bay Area, but once a crew is assembled systems need to be worked out. A primary challenge was learning what to focus on and when to trust. This became easier as my roster filled with more skilled crew.” Second, Laby had to figure out how the boat responds. “Knowing when to press on the gas, or pull-in the sails is critical. Being in sync with the crew and knowing how quickly each can respond has a big impact on execution--especially critical at the starts, but also at any crossing or rounding. In the beginning I used to count and time much more than I do now; today it’s more instinctual,” he smiles.

On San Francisco Bay learning is that much more challenging for each execution. Not as familiar with the local conditions as his peers, he used to follow the leaders. “I had no idea where I should be going! Sometimes they lead us to success, other times not so much. The last couple of years I have gained confidence in my own knowledge. In 2016, I started discussing strategy with the crew. We now have the confidence to follow our convictions. And, as a result, we now tend to lead to the favored places, as opposed to follow; this has elevated our sailing to a new height.”

In 2014, ‘15 and ‘16 Godot earned a Fleet 1 ranking within the top three spots. A note about this skipper—he’s also the mainsheet trimmer—a rarity when racing in Fleet 1. In 2017, Godot will complete the full Fleet 1 schedule. Laby may also head to the 2017 J/105 North American Championship at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas, in October. Obviously, that would be a time and cost commitment--as a father and tech start-up executive, his schedule is already full. “All told, we’ll be on the water at least 30 days for competition, plus days for practice.”

Enduring Fleet and Design Success
Success of Fleet 1 is tied to popularity of the J/105, a boat that is called “ideal” for Bay conditions. She is able to withstand strong and unpredictable winds. She is quickly rigged and the asymmetric spinnaker on bowsprit streamlines operations. There’s ample cockpit space, plus a fair amount of room below. And, the J/105 has been deemed a great value. When it comes to racing, the playing field is fairly level for this class, as rules dictate an owner-driver rule, tight restrictions on Category 3 professionals and annual sail purchase restrictions that keep racing affordable and as Corinthian as one-design can be.

For J/Boats, the J/105 has been so successful that it ultimately influenced the design for all future models: successive boats always incorporate the sprit + asym configuration. Shares Johnstone, “As a matter of fact, J/Boats was the first company in the world to mass produce asymmetric spinnaker keelboats starting in 1991. The only precursors were primarily dinghies--International 14s (U.K.), International 12s (New Zealand) and Aussie 18s (Sydney, Australia). The Ultimate 30s were all custom boats with lightweight keels, but followed the same basic idea. The world followed J/Boats' innovation.”

J/Cruisers
J-Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/40 HERON REACH sailed by Virginia and Jerry is participating in the Blue Planet Odyssey project and have recently joined them in the Marquesas Islands in the Eastern Pacific. Learn more about their adventures and experiences here- http://heronreachodyssey.blogspot.com/* J/160 SALACIA has been sailing in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands. Guess who decided to throw themselves across their bow as they cruised comfortably to their next destination? A giant whale! Look at this amazing photo!

* Jim & Heather Wilson just completed a circumnavigation of our "blue planet Earth" in June 2013 on their J/42 CEOL MOR. Said Jim, "The odyssey of CEOL MOR is over, for now. We completed our circumnavigation on our J/42 when we crossed our outbound track in Britannia Bay, Mustique. We were, however, still 2,000 nautical miles from home. So we continued on through the Windwards, the Leewards, and then through the British Virgin Islands. After a farewell 'Painkiller' at the Soggy Dollar, and a last meal at Foxy’s, we made the 1,275 nautical mile passage to the Chesapeake and completed our port-to-port circumnavigation when we arrived in Annapolis on June 28, 2013. We had been away 1,334 days, completed 259 days of ocean passages, and sailed 30,349 nautical miles (34,925 statute miles). Read more about their adventures in their well-documented blog here: http://www.svceolmor.com/SVCeolMor/Welcome.html

* J/160 AVATAR headed for the Caribbean, again, for 2015/ 2016! We LOVE these updates from our cruising J sailors that continue to criss-cross the Seven Seas. This one comes from Alan Fougere, sailing his beloved J/160 AVATAR. Alan sent us an email update regards their various improvements and refit to the boat (see above). They will again be based at Proper Yachts in St John, US Virgin Islands.

* Bill & Judy Stellin were interviewed about cruising on their J/42 in the Wall St Journal called "Retiring on the Open Sea". The Wall St Journal asked Bill to reply to dozens of questions that flooded into the WSJ's Editor desks. Here's the update:

Retiring on the Sea: Answering Readers' QuestionsAdvice about selecting a boat, ocean crossings, itineraries and safety

The article in our WSJ Online December retirement report about eight years spent sailing the Mediterranean— "Retiring to the Open Sea"— prompted many questions and comments from readers. We asked William Stellin, who wrote the story, to answer some of the most common queries.

WSJ- "What kind and make of boat did you use? Looking back, would you have picked a different boat?"

Bill- "In 1995-96, J/Boats of Newport, RI, came out with a new cruiser/racer model, the J/42. We bought hull No. 6 of this popular 42-foot sailboat and named it JAYWALKER. This was our fourth boat since beginning sailing in 1975.

Although long-distance cruising wasn't what we had in mind when we purchased JAYWALKER, it soon became apparent it had the ability to carry us easily and safely anywhere we wanted to go. Because the boat is light, it sails well in light winds, which means very little motoring is necessary.

People often ask (and argue) about what boat is best for cruising. Any boat that is strong, safe, fast, comfortable and easily handled by two people should fit the bill. One thing for sure, fast is fun—and important when trying to avoid bad weather."

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand and points further around the Blue Planet Earth. Here is their latest update (December 2016) from Bill & Kathy:

“We completed a three year tour of the south pacific and sailed from Hobart Tasmania back to Seattle in the fall of 2012. After two seasons of local cruising, we decided to truck the boat to Rochester NY. In the summer of 2015, we sailed out the Saint Lawrence seaway and down the east coast of Nova Scotia and the US, with a few months in the Bahamas that winter. This past summer, we crossed the Atlantic with stops in Bermuda and the Azores, making landfall in Falmouth, UK. We have worked down the coast of France, Spain and Portugal and are now in Lagos Portugal. We plan on passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and spending a couple seasons in the Med.”

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.